1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to artificially lifted oil and gas wells, and in particular to such wells employing electric submersible pumps.
2. Description of Related Art
In many artificially lifted wells, there is potential for significantly improved operation and increased production. There are a variety of mechanisms for artificially lifting fluid from a reservoir, including electric submersible pumping systems and gas lift systems. In using any of these artificial lift systems, a variety of mechanical and systemic components can limit optimization of system usage. For example, artificial lift system components may be blocked, damaged, improperly sized, operated at less than optimal rates, or otherwise present limitations on gaining optimal use of the overall system.
Attempts have been made to detect certain specific problems. However, comprehensive analysis of the well and/or system components has proved to be difficult once the system is set downhole and placed into operation.